Usagi the Gaul
by Shritistrang
Summary: The year is 50 BC... all of Gaul is being controlled by the Romans. All of Gaul? No, there's a small village full of warrior girls that continue to resist against their invaders... Inspired by the Asterix comics.
1. Prologue

The year is 50 B.C.

The Romans have conquered almost every part of the known world.

Their supreme emperor, Julius Caesar, is insatiable, however, and under his military reign, the Romans go from one victory to another. Countless tribes and nations are being defeated and forced to live under Roman dominance.

* * *

We see the big palace in Rome... Prince Diamond steps out of the building, dressed in a toga, a cape and a laurel wreath.

Diamond, as Caesar, coughs.

"Veni, vidi, vici... I came, I saw, I conquered!"

Next to him, Sapphire, also dressed in a toga, is fumbling with a knife. Diamond throws him an angry glare.

"Brutus, you know I don't like it when you play with that knife."

* * *

Gaul also is one of the defeated nations...

In modern days, Gaul will be called France, and populated by people called the French. The ancestors of the French are the Gauls... Brave people who are only afraid from one thing: That the sky might one day fall down on their heads.

So, every part of Gaul is being controlled by the Romans?

Oh, no, no! A small village at the northwest coast of Gaul manages to resist being conquered by the Roman invaders.

Because Caesar didn't manage to defeat this small tribe of warriors, he placed several outposts around the village, to watch them and to make sure they don't cause any trouble...

The names of those four outposts are Smallbonum, Laudanum, Babaorum and Aquarium...

One strange thing about that Gaulic village is: It's mainly populated by women, and only a few males.

The smartest villager of them all is a girl called Amimizunix... she prefers being called 'Ami' by her friends. But Ami is not only the most clever one of the villagers... she also is very observant when trying to detect Roman spies...

* * *

Ami is walking through a forest path, dressed in Gaulic clothes, carrying a short sword on her belt and humming a tune.

A Roman legionnaire tries to camouflage himself by wearing a tree stump costume... Ami walks by, still humming.

"A... a... a-CHOOO!!"

Ami smiles. "Bless you!"

(sniff) "Thank you..."

* * *

Ami's best friend is Usagitsukinix, just called Usagi by her friends.

Usagi is a nice, happy-go-lucky girl who wants to be friends with any living being on earth. She also owns a small, black cat called Luna.

Usagi has a really interesting occupation... She makes menhirs - tall, pillar-like rocks - and delivers them to anyone who would like to have one. But... because of her natural clumsiness, accidents often happen...

* * *

Usagi walks down a path, carrying a menhir that is towering over her head. Luna is walking next to her.

"Usagi, I think you better carry that thing behind your back... This way, you can't see where you're going..."

"Oh, don't worry, Luna! It's not like I'm going to faaaaaaalll..."

Usagi stumbles over a rock lying on the ground, the menhir tilts over and crashes down on the ground.

Luna groans. "Now see what you did, Usagi..."

Usagi whines. "I'm sorry, Luna..."

Out from under the fallen menhir, the voice of a Roman calls out: "By Jupiter! This is the fourth time this week... my poor head..."

* * *

Usagi is able to carry her menhirs because of her enormous strength... which she gained after falling into a special magic potion when she still was a child. She drank so much from it that the potion's effect will never wear off in her whole life.

The magic potion is also the secret behind the village's invincibility. Reihinix, the female druid of the village, has learned how to brew it from her grandfather. Every time the Romans attack the village, Rei gives every villager a small sip of the potion, making them stronger than bears... but normally only for a few hours.

* * *

Within a gloomy hut, a big cauldron is situated over a burning fireplace. In front of it, Rei is standing, wearing a druid's robe and a golden sickle in her belt. She stirs up the potion bubbling within the cauldron, takes a small sip, nods and adds another ingredient.

Usagi comes up behind the female druid. "Rei... may I have another sip of that potion? I'm feeling kinda weak..."

Rei angrily glares at her klutzy friend. "How many times do I have to tell you: I won't give you any more of this potion! You drank enough when you were a kid. More would be dangerous!"

Usagi sniffles. "But... but it smells so good..."

Rei groans. "Usagi, you're such a glutton..."

"Rei, you big meanie!"

* * *

There are some other important persons living within the village that have to be introduced.

Minakoainix is the bard, and she lives with a cat of her own, called Artemis...

Well... there are multiple opinions about Minako's singing talent. She thinks she sings great... everyone else thinks she should change her job.

Sometimes, poor Artemis believes he will become deaf sooner or later, since he is always the closest to Minako when she sings. Oh yes, she has a beautiful voice... but absolutely no singing talent!

Her neighbor is Makotokinix, the blacksmith.

Perhaps it's because of the fact that she lives right next to Minako... but every time Makoto hears Minako singing, she gets furious. One could say she is the ancestor of all music critics...

* * *

Minako is standing in front of her house, playing her harp and 'trying' to sing. Artemis is sitting next to her, a pained expression on his face.

Makoto comes storming out of her workshop, wearing her leather apron.

"Minako, I had enough! Stop that awful yowling, or else I... I..."

"Or what?" Minako said offended. "You just don't appreciate the beauty of my voice... My singing and the tune of my harp... this is art! This is my destiny!"

"Stuff your destiny elsewhere!" Makoto grumbled. "If you don't stop making that infernal noise, I swear, I'll take out my sledgehammer and ram your little harp into the ground!"

* * *

Okay... let's have a look at someone else.

Harukatenohix and her female companion, Michirukaoix, are living together across the street, opposite of Makoto's workshop.

Haruka is a fisherwoman, and Michiru owns the village's fish shop. They insist their fish is the best... but quite often, for a reason they just cannot understand, the villagers return the fishes and claim they would have a... slight disturbing fragrance...

The chief of the village is the mighty Setsunameioix.

* * *

Setsuna is standing on top of a big, round shield, which is being carried by Hotaru and Chibiusa. The female chief is striking an impressive pose... while the two younger girls have to sweat under her weight.

"There just is no discipline left in this village!" Setsuna shouts with a loud voice. "I order everyone to bow down before my splendor!"

CRASH!

Setsuna pulled her face out of the dirt. Angrily, she looked back at her two carriers. "What the heck are you two doing?"

Hotaru shrugged. "Well, you said we should bow down, so..." Chibiusa giggled.

Fuming, Setsuna stood up from the ground. "I MEANT EVERYONE ELSE AND NOT YOU TWO SILLY GIRLS!"

* * *

The Romans simply aren't able to handle the power of that kind of village... And the soldiers situated in the outposts Smallbonum, Laudanum, Babaorum and Aquarium sigh when they think about the amount of time they still have to stay and guard this village full of invincible and crazy girls...


	2. A few precious stones

Swaying wildly, the small carriage was rolling towards the peaceful Gaul village...

A smiling face, surrounded by long, blue hair, turned around to face the other occupant of the wagon.

"So, we're here... think we're able to make some good money here?"

The female, pink-haired girl smiled back at her male companion. "Those Gauls are nothing but barbarians... they don't know the first thing about precious items. We'll be able to buy everything valuable they own for next to nothing. Believe me, this will be our big chance..."

When they arrived at the gate of the palisade wall surrounding the straw-covered huts, the man leaned forward to have a better look at the guard standing at the gate.

"Please, tell your chief that the merchants Ailus and Ena would like to speak to him."

Shortly afterwards, they were standing in the middle of the village square, while Setsuna was approaching them... of course, standing on her shield, which was being carried by Hotaru and Chibiusa, as usual...

"Ave, chief of this village," Ailus greeted her. "We are travelling merchants and would like to make your life comfortable by relieving you from any unnecessary stuff you won't need... like that shield! Please, let me take a look at it, you two..."

CRASH!

Setsuna had another close encounter with the floor, when Chibiusa and Hotaru presented the shield she had been standing on to the Roman merchant.

Setsuna spit out some sand. "You... are you having fun doing this to me?"

"Sorry, Puu..." Chibiusa grinned. "We totally forgot about you."

"Very nice," Ena nodded after taking a good look at the shield. "We offer you XX sesterces for it."

"Sorry," Setsuna said. "It's not for sale... but, if you want to buy something second hand... you could ask Haruka if she has some fish for you."

SPLAT!

A big fish came flying through the air and smacked into Setsuna's face.

From the other side of the street, out of the Fish Shop, a furious voice shouted: "Call my fish old again and you'll be sorry!"

Ena grimaced. "They don't give their chief much respect, do they?"

"By Jupiter," Ailus suddenly gasped. "My dear, take a look at this magnificent piece of art..."

And he hurried towards the bow-wearing girl that had just stepped out of her hut, accompanied by a white cat.

Ailus had a wide smile on his face as he approached the blonde bard. "What a fabulous instrument, my dear... Please, entertain me with your playing..."

"Oh no," the cat groaned. "Anything but that..."

Minako was beaming. "Perhaps you want to hear my beautiful voice as well?"

"Why don't you sing while playing?" Ailus suggested.

Minako raised her instrument. "Why, I'd be delighted to, my dear friends..."

"Here she goes again..." Artemis whimpered.

And while strumming the strings of her harp, Minako's beautiful voice echoed throughout the village... and it sounded truly horrible:

"A-a-a-a-all the leaves are bro-o-o-o-o-wn, aaaaaand the skyyyyyy is gre-e-e-e-y-y-y-y..."

Ailus and Ena grimaced and put their hands on their ears.

"Mama mia!" Ena groaned.

"What a horrible sound," Ailus muttered. "Perhaps we should bring this harp to Caesar... it would make an excellent weapon!"

"Please, Ailus... Caesar is no barbarian, you know?"

CLANG!

The music ended abruptly, when suddenly, a giant sledgehammer came crashing down on the harp.

Minako gasped and looked up at the brown-haired wielder of the hammer.

Makoto smirked. "I told you: One more time and that's the end!"

Minako quivered as she stared down at the remains of her instrument. "M-m-my beautiful harp..."

Artemis sighed in relief. "Finally... peace and quiet..."

"Well done, my lady," Ailus nodded. "You have quite the interesting tool there... would you care to sell it?"

Makoto frowned, then smirked and hefted her sledgehammer. "Wanna try it out?"

The two merchants smiled nervously and stepped back. "Um... that won't be necessary, I think..."

And after leaving Makoto and Minako behind, Ena gulped. "I tell you, those Gauls are crazy..."

* * *

Ami was just walking along the village path, reading an interesting book, when she saw Usagi stumbling towards her, balancing a big menhir behind her back. Luna was walking alongside her, shaking her head.

Ami had to giggle at that sight.

"What's so funny?" the odango'ed Gaul grumbled. "I may be strong, but for a delicate girl like me, it's still no easy task carrying such big stones..."

"Delicate?" Luna huffed. "If you continue to stuff your tummy with all that pork roast, you will become pretty fat sooner or later."

Usagi stuck out her tongue. "Well, is it my fault that they taste so good?"

Ami grinned and closed her book. "Usagi, what do you say you put down that menhir for a while and join me for lunch?"

Usagi beamed. "Great idea!" And with a loud 'WHAM', she dropped the menhir next to her hut and followed her smart friend.

* * *

Ailus and Ena were just coming from the village square, looking back to see if that crazy girl with the sledgehammer would still follow them.

When they suddenly bumped into two other girls.

"Oh... excuse me, I didn't see where I was going," the blue-haired Gaul apologized.

"Oh, that's okay," Ailus coughed. Then he took a good look at those girls. Maybe he could buy something from them...

"My ladies, you look like you have the potential to be successful businesswomen... Pardon my question... but is there anything in particular you'd like to sale? I believe we would be able to make you an adequate offer..."

Ami thought about it. Then she grinned. "You know my friend here might have a nice collection of old stones for you..."

"Huh?" Usagi asked. "What?"

"Excuse me for a moment," both Ami and Ailus said at the same time.

After Ami whispered something to her blonde friend, the menhir delivery girl began giggling.

The Roman merchants didn't hear it. "Did you hear that?" Ailus asked with glee. "They must have precious gems... and, being the barbarians they are, they have absolutely no idea of their true value..."

"You were absolutely right," his female partner giggled. "Now we're gonna be rich..."

They turned back to face each other.

"We have decided to accept your offer," Ailus said, trying hardly not to grin.

"Good, but we insist on making a valid contract," Ami nodded.

Ena raised an eyebrow, but pulled a blank contract out of her bag. "This is the standard contract we make with most of our customers," she claimed.

Ami read it carefully. Then, she nodded. "Good, but the whole collection of stones will cost you MMM sesterces."

"Agreed," Ailus nodded and pulled out a big pinfeather to put in the corresponding value in the blank space. Ami took the contract and filled in the corresponding 'goods'. Afterwards, both parties signed the contract.

"Please deliver the goods to our carriage..." Ailus said. "We parked it next to the village gate."

"Understood," Ami agreed, while in the background, Usagi was still giggling madly.

After the two girls and their cat have left, Ailus grinned. "I told you: Those fools don't have the slightest idea what their precious gems are worth... MMM sesterces, that's nothing! We can sell those gems for more than twice the amount of money."

"Coming to this village was the best idea you ever had," Ena snickered.

Then Ailus' gaze wandered over to the most graceful example of femininity he had ever seen in his life.

"Will you take a look at her..." he mumbled. "Such grace... such beauty... and someone like her lives among those barbarians..."

Ena's gaze followed the raven-haired girl as she entered one of the huts. "But... have you seen her clothes? Looks like she is the village's druid..."

"What a waste..." Ailus shook his head. "We should follow her... that kind of girl surely is ready to exchange her old, but valuable goods for some newer things..."

* * *

Rei put down the bag of collected herbs and wiped her brow... Collecting those plants every day surely wasn't an easy task. But, as they were important for her potions, the work had to be done...

Suddenly, someone knocked at the door. "Come in," she said absent-mindedly.

She was surprised, when suddenly two Romans stood in front of her. The man bowed and said: "We have followed your trail of elegance, beautiful Gaul..."

"Uh... okay..." Rei said irritated. "What do you want?"

Ailus continued: "We want to assist you... Helping you to have a better lifestyle... in short, we want to relieve you of your old junk and..."

"Old junk?" Suddenly, an elderly man, dressed in similar robes as his granddaughter, appeared next to her. "Did you say: Old junk?"

"Well, yes, we..."

Yelling with anger, the old man grabbed a broom. "THAT'S IT!" And he began pounding the poor Roman merchant with his broom, chasing him out of the hut.

"OUCH! Hey, what's the big... OUCH!"

"Stand still and take your punishment like a man!" the retired druid yelled.

Ena chuckled nervously. "What's wrong with him?"

Rei groaned. "I believe grandpa thought your friend was referring to him..."

* * *

"Well, now that was a letdown..." Ena mumbled as they were walking back to their carriage.

Ailus groaned. "That old man surely could pack a punch... and I didn't even get a chance to explain what I meant..."

Then he smiled. "Oh well, at least we have this awesome contract." He grinned and unrolled the scroll. "Imagine, we only have to pay them MMM sesterces for..." His face fell. "For... for..."

"What's the matter?" Ena asked curiously and looked at the contract.

But when she saw just WHAT they had bought, she grimaced. "You... you..."

"Hello there," the cheerful voice of the blue-haired girl shouted. "You still owe us MMM sesterces!"

"Here are your stones, Romans!" her blonde friend grinned.

* * *

The Roman carriage was on its way back from the village, swaying under its heavy cargo.

Ena was fuming. "GEMS, HUH? AN AWESOME CONTRACT, RIGHT?"

"How... how was I supposed to know..." Ailus murmured meekly and looked back at their purchase.

A really nice collection of 10 huge menhirs.


	3. Usagi and the Great Crossing

Somewhere in the northern oceans...

Everything is coated with a thick blanket of white fog.

Suddenly, a strange sound breaks through the silence of the fog banks...

"Meow!"

Quick footsteps.

"Come on now, leave the captain alone..."

"If you ask me, this whole trip is one big waste of time... I tell you one more time, captain: Let's turn back around and sail home! This is getting us nowhere!"

A short span of silence.

"SIT!"

WHAM!

"OW! Hey, what did you do that for?"

"Be careful, captain... you two don't want to make a leak in our boat, right?"

"You'll all see," a peeved, female voice called out. "You'll see I'm right! And now, QUIET!"

"All right, Kagome, we understood you..."

Silence...

A few moments later:

"Hey, captain... That white thing on starboard... could that be an ice berg?"

"STEER HARD TO PORTSIDE!"

"AYE AYE, CAPTAIN!"

But for now, let's leave the foggy oceans of the north behind and take a look back at our Gaulic village...

* * *

Steaming mad, Rei came stomping out of the druid's hut, carrying a big fish with her right hand. According to its smell, it has to be 5 weeks old, at least...

Rei approached a certain fish shop, headed straight for the turquoise-haired saleswoman (who had stepped back as a precaution) and slammed the smelly fish on the sales counter.

"There!" the raven-haired druid snarled. "Care to explain that?"

Michiru chuckled nervously. "Well... the fish seems to be quite old... right?"

"Hotaru bought it yesterday for me," Rei explained, looking at Michiru with burning eyes. "I asked her to bring me a somewhat fresh fish for my potions... She told me this would be the freshest one she could find! Now I wanna know: Why don't you have any fresh fish for once?"

Michiru gulped. "Well, Haruka hasn't gone fishing for a while now..."

"Then I'd say it's about time, isn't it?"

Rei looked past Michiru into the fisherwoman's hut. "Haruka, explain to me: Why is it so hard for you to go out with your little fishing boat and catch some fresh fish?"

The blonde fisherwoman gulped. "Well... we have a slight problem with the boat..."

"Care to elaborate on that?"

Michiru sighed. "She has... sold the boat."

"Beg your pardon?"

The fish saleswoman nodded. "That's right! And not just the fish: She also sold most of her fishing gear, too! And she didn't even ask me for permission!" She threw her companion an icy glare.

"But... but... you have to understand," Haruka tried to defend herself. "I needed some money!"

"And what for?" Rei asked.

Haruka pulled out a stone slab and grinned. "Here, look at this: The newest sports chariot on the market! All the rage in Lutetia!"

She pointed at the little carved image of the vehicle on the slab. "Copper adornments, side impact protection and a horse power of four!" She smiled like all of her dreams had come true. "I just need XXV more sesterces, and I'll be able to afford it!"

"So you sold your boat to afford a chariot..." Rei groaned. "Never thinking about your customers..."

"I should throw you out of the house for that," Michiru grumbled. Haruka winced.

"I... I just thought, for a few days, selling some of our old fish would be sufficient..."

"Well, it would have been bad enough if it was just because of your customers..." Rei muttered. "But sadly, there's also the matter of one tiny, additional problem..."

"Um, and that would be?" Haruka asked.

Rei took a deep breath.

Then she yelled right into the blonde's face: "I CAN'T BREW ANY MAGIC POTION WITHOUT ANY FRESH FISH!!"

* * *

Meanwhile, other villagers have gathered around the fish shop, having listened to the last part of the conversation.

"What do we do then?" Minako gasps. "Without your potion, the Romans will surely be able to defeat us."

"It's no use... we have to catch some fresh fish out in the ocean," Rei replied.

"But... how? If Haruka sold her boat..."

Grandpa Hinix strode up to his granddaughter and grinned. "No worries! I own a small boat lying at the shore... in my younger days, I used it to catch fish myself. Thee also must be an old fishing net in there..."

"You heard it," Rei said to Haruka. "Get to it... now!"

"But... but..." Haruka whined. "If I go now, I might miss the newest edition of 'Horses, Chariots and Races'..."

Rei snarled and made a fist. "You'll miss some teeth if you don't..."

"Hey, calm down, Rei," Ami quickly said and stepped in-between the enraged druid and the cowering fisherwoman. "Let me go fishing if Haruka doesn't want to... I surely know how to steer a boat."

"Oh yeah, me too," Usagi said excitedly and hopped up and down. "This will be fun..."

"All right then," Rei sighed. "But you better hurry, I only have one cauldron of potion left... wait, lemme get you a bottle, just in case, okay?"

Ami nodded. "Sure!"

Rei threw one last glare at Haruka. "We'll talk later..."

By now, the crowd was slowly dissolving, and Michiru was dragging her companion inside. "Come, you... it's time you learn something about business!"

"Ouch! Hey, lemme go..."

Ami giggled as she watched the two women vanish inside their hut. She then looked at Usagi. "You really wanna come along? You haven't really been on many boats before..."

"Ah, it's okay," the blonde menhir delivery girl grinned. "I'll do fine, somehow..."

"I guess I better come with you two," Luna grumbled. "I don't want to know what disaster Usagi might cause out there..."

Usagi glared at her feline friend. "Luna, that was unnecessarily mean!"

The black cat just shrugged.

Rei came back with a small bottle of magic potion. "Here, Ami! Use it if the two of you would get in any kind of trouble... I would come with you, but... I have to make sure the others don't waste the rest of the potion within hours... and you know how irresponsible grandpa can be at times."

"It's okay, Rei... but thanks for the potion. We'll come back as fast as we can."

Rei nodded. "Good, I'm counting on you! Happy fishing!"

* * *

Luna groaned when she saw grandpa Hinix' boat that was floating next to the catwalk, on the shore just outside the village.

"We're supposed to use that tiny thing? Well, it's just fine that Rei wasn't able to come... she wouldn't have fit inside anyway."

Ami looked over the small boat and smiled. "I like it. It's enough to catch some fish... it's not like we'll be gone for days, right?"

"All right," Usagi cheered. "Let's get inside!"

She made a small step and jumped on board of the small vessel.

"Usagi, be careful!" Ami shouted. "You don't want to fall into the..."

"Aaaaaah!" Usagi's own force carried her further than she had intended to, and for a short while, she was staggering at the edge of the boat, desperately struggling to regain her balance...

SPLASH!

"...water..." Ami said with a groan.

Usagi surfaced and spit out some water. "Oops," she said with a grin. "Teehee, I guess I got carried away for a while..."

Luna shook her head. "I have the feeling this is going to be a looong trip..."

* * *

Like a sailing expert, Ami was setting sail and let the wind carry the small boat away. When she believed they had reached a good point for fishing, she nodded and stroke the sail.

"Usagi, cast the net!"

Usagi saluted. "Aye, aye, captain!"

Usagi took the net and threw it over the ship's rail. Luna watched her for a while while she was fumbling with it, and shook her head.

Turning to Ami, she asked: "Do you really believe Usagi is able to use that thing?"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure Usagi can do it if she really tries," Ami smiled.

Just then, the blonde in question tapped her blue-haired friend on the shoulder. "Ummm... Ami?"

"Yes, what's wrong?"

Usagi fidgeted with her fingers. "I don't know how to say it, but..."

"Yes? Out with it!" Luna said impatiently.

Usagi sighed. "I kinda... lost the net."

"What?"

She nodded. "It's true. I was just holding on it, when suddenly, a BIG fish yanked it out of my hands. I tried holding onto it, but... it was kinda slippery..."

Ami sighed. "Oh, great... what are we supposed to do now?"

"Great job, Usagi..." Luna threw her an angry glare.

Usagi whined. "I'm sooo sorry..."

Ami shook her head. "Well, we certainly can't fish like this... looks like we have to go back to the village and fetch another net."

"Easier said than done," Luna commented. "There's no wind... and we have no paddles. So, getting back to the shore won't be easy..."

Ami sighed. "Well, then we just have to wait for some wind, right?"

"I'm hungry!" Usagi whined.

"You should have brought something," Luna said. "Now stop your whining."

Then they were quiet for a while.

Suddenly Luna looked up from where she was dozing. "Um, girls... I can see a ship over there."

"Really?" Usagi looked over the rail. "Perhaps they've got some food."

Ami chuckled. "Usagi... even if they had, how do you plan on going over there?"

The blonde Gaul grinned. "Just watch me."

And she jumped into the water, swum behind the boat and began pushing it. And with her enormous strength, she was easily able to move it with the speed of a modern motorboat.

* * *

At the top of the ship's mast, a black flag was hanging, a flag that was putting fear in the hearts of all sailors whenever they see it... a black flag with a white skull and a pair of crossbones - the usual flag of a pirate ship!

Well, it was an upside-down pirate flag, but that's beside the point.

The red-haired pirate captain lifted her eyepatch and looked up. She groaned.

"Pallas... you hoisted the flag upside-down again..."

The ditzy, blue-haired mate giggled. "Oopsie... Sorry, Vesta! I'll be more careful next time."

Vesta shook her head. "I swear, we always get into trouble because of your ditziness..."

Pallas pouted. "That wasn't my fault last time... I was being distracted because of Ceres' stupid perfume..." She gestured over to a pink-haired girl that was clothed quite elegantly for a pirate.

"Hey, a girl has to make sure she smells great," Ceres replied. "And spending weeks on that old boat makes you smell like fish..."

"It's not my fault the last ship we seized was a fishing boat," Vesta returned. "If Juno had paid more attention from the crow's nest..."

The captain looked up. "By the way... Hey Juno, any ships?"

"Let's see..." the green-haired girl said from above. "On starboard... nuh-uh... on portside... nope... straight ahead... oh... oh, oh... c-c-captain..."

"What's up?" Vesta asked impatiently.

"The Gaga... the Gaga..."

Vesta looked at Ceres. "What's she talking about?"

Ceres shrugged. "Dunno..."

Vesta walked up to the ship's front side and looked herself. And when she saw the approaching boat and its occupants, she gulped.

"The Gaga..."

And then, the terrible creature that has haunted their dreams was jumping aboard... blonde pigtails whipping around, as it shouted cheerfully: "Hi there!"

"The Gauls..." Vesta finished weakly. Nervously, she backed off. Every time the Pirate Quartet was running into Usagi and her friends, it ended in a disaster... and most of the time, their ship ended up sinking down into the sea.

Ami smiled as she appeared next to her friend. "Why, fancy meeting you here! It's always nice to run into old friends, right?"

Vesta giggled nervously. "Now, see here... can we make it quick this time? You just say what you want, we give it to you, and you leave us alone, 'kay?"

Usagi looked around. "Well, I'm kinda hungry, sooo..."

Vesta sighed in defeat. "All right... Ceres, get some food from our galley..."

"ALL the food, please..."

Another groan. "All the food..."

* * *

Some time later, the Gaulic ship was disappearing in the distance. Vesta let out a sigh of relief. "Wow," she muttered. "We sure have been lucky this time... the ship stayed intact."

Just then, the grinning face of Pallas looked out of the ship's hold. "Don't worry, captain... Pallas took care of everything. When I saw the stupid Gauls, I quickly fetched my little axe and made sure they wouldn't be able to sink our nice ship..."

"The axe?" Ceres mumbled. "What did you need the axe for?"

Pallas grinned and raised her little tool. "Oh, I just hacked a little hole into the hull... if we sink the boat ourselves, they won't be able to do it, right?"

And as the pirate ship was slowly descending, sinking down into the waves, its captain could only say one thing:

"Pallas, you stupid little twit!"

* * *

Usagi suppressed a burp as she lay down in the boat. "Now that was a good meal..."

Ami looked at her sternly. "Usagi... you should have saved some for later..."

"So? I did so, right?" The blonde girl took an apple out of her pocket. "Here, that's for later..."

Luna was searching the horizon. "We've been drifting off very far... Usagi, you think you can push us back to the shore like you pushed us to that pirate ship?"

But the only thing she got as a response was soft snoring.

"USAGI!"

"Just leave her alone," Ami said and yawned. "It really has been a long day... and I must say, I'm a little tired as well... I think I'm going to take a little nap too."

"Here? Out in the ocean? You can't be serious..."

But then something happened that forced them to focus on something else than on naps.

All of a sudden, it was getting much darker, and big clouds were covering the sky. A low rumbling woke Ami up.

"Wha... what's that?"

Strong gusts of wind created big waves which carried the small boat up and down. Luna covered down at the floor of the boat. "It's a storm! Ami, take the rudder!"

Ami did her best to steer the small vessel back the way they came, but the winds were just too strong... they carried them further and further away from the Gaulic continent.

And then, the thunder began crackling.

"If this keeps up," Ami shouted. "We will being swept to the edge of the world where we will fall off..."

"I'm hungry again... Ami, would you like an apple?"

* * *

Much later in the evening, the storm has calmed down. By now, the sun has already set, so it was almost pitch-black.

"It's no use," Ami sighed. "We have to wait for some wind which can take us back to Gaul."

"Let's hope tomorrow we'll have more luck," Luna said.

Usagi scooped the black cat up with her arms and clutched her to her chest. "Luna... I'm sorry about being such a glutton. If I hadn't swum to the pirate ship, we could easily be back home by now... and we would see Minako again... and Makoto... and Rei... but now we're lost and can never return back home! WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!"

"Now, now..." Luna tried to calm down the crying menhir delivery girl. "It's all right, Usagi! We all make some mistakes now and then... and while you're a clumsy little klutz sometimes... you're also a sweet girl... and my friend!"

Usagi sniffed. "Luna..."

Ami had to smile as she imagined the scene in front of her, which she sadly couldn't watch because of the darkness. "Let's go to sleep, okay? Tomorrow, we will try to find a way back home."

"Okay!" Usagi replied. "G'night, Ami! Night, Luna..."

"Goodnight, Usagi..."

* * *

Somewhere else on the ocean, hidden within the darkness of the night, a gruff male voice suddenly gasped.

"By the gods! What was that infernal yell? Just where did you lead us to, Kagome?"

"Calm down," a female voice answered. "Perhaps those are some sort of sirens who want to mislead us with their demonic voices. Just put some wax in your ears and all will be fine."

"I hope you're right..."

Silence.

"We'll never get out of here alive, Kagome... Kagome...? KAGOME!!"

"Huh, what?"

"Ah! I almost thought you were gone..."

"PUT SOME WAX IN YOUR EARS AND SHUT UP!"

* * *

Usagi looked down at the apple slice in her hands. "This sucks..." she whined. "I really should have listened to you and saved some food for later... now all we have is a slice of this apple for each of us..."

"Here, I also caught some rain water," Ami said and handed Usagi a bowl. "Here, drink, but not too much, okay?"

Usagi drank her water and pouted. "I wanna go home.. I wanna big, juicy pork roast and some goat milk..."

"Well, we have to find our way back home first," Luna sighed. "But I hope we'll find the right direction."

"Let's rest for a while, afterwards we'll try going east. Usagi, you feel up to it?"

Usagi nodded weakly. Ami smiled. "Good! I know you can do it!"

For some time, the three of them were lying down in the small boat, which was swaying gently within the small waves. The warm sun was shining down and made them feel sleepy.

Ami had the feeling her eyes were slowly closing...

CRUNCH!

Ami got startled and was wide awake when a heavy blow made the boat shudder. Usagi shook her head and looked around in confusion.

"Huh? What? Where? How?"

"Ami, what happened?" Luna asked.

Ami looked down at the outside of the boat. "Looks like we hit some cliffs..." she murmured. Then she looked further ahead. Raising above them, a steep, rocky cliff was rising.

Usagi shivered. "That's the end of the world... behind those cliffs, the great nothing is lying..."

Ami shook her head. "Let's worry about that later, Usagi..." She stood up and carefully stepped onto a big rock that rose next to their stranded boat.

She looked their tiny vessel over and frowned. "Doesn't look too good... we have an enormous leak at the right side... without any tools, I doubt we will be able to fix it."

"What will we do now?" Usagi asked. "Now we're stranded at the edge of the world, doomed to stay here for all eternity..." She looked like she was ready to cry.

Ami looked up. "I don't know, Usagi... I don't think that this is the end of the world. Wait here, I wanna go up there and take a look..."

"Ami, that's too dangerous," her blonde friend protested. "What if you fall down into the great nothing?"

Ami smiled. "I'll be fine... but you can come with me if you like."

Luna smirked. "I think Usagi is too afraid to do anything."

That did it. Huffing, Usagi stood up, picked Luna up from the ground and followed Ami over the rocks.

It was a difficult climb, but in the end, the two Gaulic girls reached the top of the cliffs.

"Now let's see..." Ami mumbled and looked over the edge. The sight before her eyes made her speechless for several seconds.

"What's up, Ami?" Usagi asked. "Do you see the sky? The stars? Or a big, black nothing?"

"I see... land!"

"What?" Luna asked. "But how...?"

"See for yourself..."

And Usagi and Luna took a look as well.

In front of them was a big forest of big pine trees, rustling in the soft breeze that swept through the woods. Behind the forest, they could see an enormous range of mountains rising, tipped with white peaks. And in-between the trees... a crystal clear river was flowing.

They pulled themselves up completely and gazed at this new, wondrous country in awe.

"Where are we, Ami?" Usagi wondered.

"I... don't know for sure, Usagi..." her friend answered.

"This is indeed an astounding discovery we made..." Luna mumbled.


	4. Usagi, Boars and Gobblegobbles

Shortly afterwards, the two girls and their cat were wandering through the woods of this strange land. The trees rose above their heads as if they were the guardians of the forest, and several times, they heard some wild animals rustling within the bushes.

"I wonder if there are wild pigs living in these woods," Usagi said.

"How typical..." Luna groaned. "The first thing you think about is food..."

Just then, they heard a rustling in the bushes directly in front of them.

"Sshhhh, you two," Ami whispered. "I think there's some animal coming this way..."

Then the bushes parted, and the strangest bird they had ever seen was entering the small clearing in which they were standing.

It had black feathers, a plump body, round, fan-like tail feathers and a strange, red flap of skin hanging from it's neck and beak. It made a strange, gobbling sound as it was striding past the stunned Gauls.

"What... is THAT?" Luna almost shrieked.

"Strange bird..." Ami murmured. "I wonder if we can eat it..."

Luna stared at her. "You TOO? Can you two only think about eating?"

"Well, we obviously need to find some food if we are to stay here... and this bird is big enough to serve as a nice pice of roast for the three of us."

Usagi grinned. "That settles it... C'mere, you big funny gobblegobble, I wanna invite you for lunch!"

She tried grabbing it, but the bird instantly realized the danger it was in and ran away... so Usagi fell down on her nose.

"Ow!"

Luna chuckled. "I'd say that means the score is: Usagi 0, gobblegobble 1."

Usagi rubbed her nose and fumed. "All right, that does it... I'm going to PLUCK that thing!"

Ami grinned. "Catch the bird!"

And the happy hunt had begun.

* * *

Shortly afterwards, the girls had set up a nice fire in the middle of the clearing... and the gobblegobble was roasting over the flames, stuck on a wooden stick.

Ami bit into a haunch. "Mmmmmm, that is great!"

Usagi bit right into the middle of a second gobblegobble they had caught while going after the first. "Dewicious..." she mumbled while munching on the tender meat.

"Okay, I admit... catching those birds was a good idea," Luna said after tasting a wing. She burped. "But let's not forget that we still have to find a way back home."

"Don't worry," Usagi said. "We'll start searching... right after this nice meal."

* * *

"We've been walking through this forest for hours..." Usagi whined. "And we still haven't found a village, or anyone that could help us fix our boat."

"Well, if there are any natives around here, they surely know how to hide..." Ami said. "You don't hear them, you don't see them.."

"All I know is that it's almost noon," Usagi mumbled. "I need some lunch..."

"Usagi, you can't tell me you're hungry again..." Luna sweat-dropped. "You ate two gobblegobbles this morning."

"I need much more gobblegobbles to forget the apple slices," the blonde growled.

Just then, from afar, they once again could hear the gobbling of the weird birds.

"I'll just catch one, for lunch," Usagi said with determination. "I'll even share with you, Ami..."

"All right... but hurry up, we can't waste the whole day hunting for gobblegobbles..."

"I'll be right back," Usagi shouted and disappeared behind the trees.

Luna sighed. "I better go after her..."

Ami nodded. "You do that. I'll be fine."

And Luna hurried after Usagi, while Ami sat down on a log to rest for a while.

* * *

Luna looked around. "Usagi? Usagi, where are you?"

"Ssshhhh," her human friend suddenly hissed from behind her. "Be quiet... there are some gobblegobbles in that tree..."

"In the TREE?"

"Of course," Usagi nodded. "They're birds, right? So that means they build nests... Wait a second, I'll show you one of my greatest hunting tricks... I'll imitate the call of my prey..."

"Be careful not to give them a shock when they hear you..." Luna grumbled.

Usagi put her hands in front of her face and shouted: "Gobblegobblegobble!"

And then, she got an answer... Coming right out of the tree in front of her, she could hear the response: "Gobblegobblegobble..."

Usagi grinned. "See? Easy as pie."

Luna shrugged, but didn't say anything.

Usagi walked in front of the tree. "Hey, come down here!"

She tried looking past the thick branches, but couldn't see anything. That annoyed her. "Ooooh, stupid bird! Come out already!" And she forcefully kicked the tree.

"WHAAAAAHHH!"

WHAM!

Blinking, Usagi and Luna looked down at the figure that was lying on the ground, in front of them.

It was a tall man with black hair, dressed in weird clothes, which included some sort of loincloth made of leather and some weird-looking shoes. He also wore a spotted bandana around his head. A single feather was attached to the bandana. Also, his face was marked with various strange symbols, which were painted on his skin with some white paint.

"That's no gobblegobble..." Usagi realized.

"No, really?"

* * *

Lost Boar had a really bad day.

He may be one of the strongest warriors, second only to the chief's son, and he also was a skilled hunter, true...

But he had clearly the worst sense of direction within his tribe.

He had only wanted to catch some turkeys, so he hid on top of a tree and imitated its call. But just as he had reached the tree's top... he realized he couldn't find his way back to the camp.

He had been trying to find a way back for hours now, but all the time, he only managed to get back to that same tree...

Well, since he was here, he could just as well go hunting...

He had climbed back on the tree and waited. And when he heard the cry of a turkey, he was certain that his bad luck had ended for today.

But, whoever had shouted the cry of the common wild turkey, it definitely was no turkey. It was some strange girl with very pale skin... and an even stranger hairstyle. She also had some small animal with her...

And she also was the reason why Lost Boar was lying on the ground, clutching his aching head.

* * *

Usagi giggled. "Look at that, Luna... A Roman, disguised as a gobblegobble."

"I don't think he's a Roman," Luna said. "His skin is somewhat dark in color... somehow reddish."

The man with the feathered bandana stood up and looked at them. He then made some gestures and said several words in a strange language.

Usagi looked at Luna. "What did he say?"

The cat shrugged. "Beats me. Perhaps he doesn't speak our language..."

* * *

Lost Boar quickly realized that this girl had to be an uncivilized savage... she couldn't even speak his language.

But he had to make it plain to her that he needed some help to get back to his camp. He formed a triangle with his hands, to form the picture of a tipi... but the girl just scratched her head and said something to her pet... as if animals could understand human language.

He tried it again, hoping that this time, she would get the message and lead him back.

* * *

"Sorry!" Usagi shook her head. "Still not comprende!"

"I think he's asking us for help," Luna speculated. "But what could he want?"

"Let's go back and ask Ami," Usagi suggested. "She's always so clever... maybe she understands him."

"Well, we should head back anyway..."

* * *

Lost Boar understood that she wanted to leave... perhaps she already knew the way? Having faith in this stranger, he decided to follow her...

* * *

Usagi carefully peered back over her shoulder. When the bandana-clad boy saw her, he grinned a fang-toothed grin. She shuddered and looked away.

"Somehow, he's giving me the creeps..." she murmured. "Look how he's following us anywhere... as if he had no idea where to go else."

"His clothing is kinda weird," Luna agreed. "Perhaps he's just some uncivilized savage..."

Then they came back to the clearing where they had left Ami behind.

But Ami was not there.

Usagi looked around. "Ami? Where are you?"

"Usagi, look at that!" Luna ran over to a small item that was lying on the ground, next to the log.

It was Ami's bottle with magic potion, the bottle Rei had given her back in Gaul.

* * *

Now it made sense... the yellow-haired girl had another friend. But now it looked like she had lost him...

Lost Boar quickly checked the forest ground and searched for possible traces. If the girl's friend had been here on the clearing, he must have created some kind of trail... and if they would follow that trail, they would also find the girl's friend.

* * *

"What does he want now?" Usagi asked.

"Looks like wants to show us something."

The strange man was gesturing at several footprints on the ground, still fresh in the soft soil of the forest.

"Well, those can't possibly be the footprints from Ami alone... someone else must have been here."

Usagi gasped. "You mean, someone kidnapped her?"

"I don't know... but I think our new friends is able to track them down."

"Okay, then let's hope he knows what he's doing."

She smiled at the red-skinned man. "Whoever you are... please help us find our friend, okay?"

And while he surely didn't understand her words, he must have understood what she meant, because he smiled back at her and nodded.

* * *

A bit later (the man was still leading them through the forest), Usagi could hear the sounds of many drums.

"Ah, so this must be their camp," Usagi realized. "Perhaps he wants to take me to their centurion..."

"Usagi, how many times do I have to tell you, he isn't a Roman!"

Then the first tents appeared in front of them, and Usagi could only stare.

The tents looked nothing like any tent she had ever seen... Pointy, made from cloth that was wrapped around wooden poles.

In the middle of the tents, many of the bronze-skinned people were performing some weird dance around a tall, wooden pole, while musicians were beating their drums. Everyone was chanting in that strange language.

But then Usagi saw her friend Ami... in their middle, bound to the wooden pole which they were circling.

Luna and her new friend wanted to stop her, but Usagi didn't listen. She just ran through the tents, pushed away two of the dancing men and hugged her bound friend.

"AMI! So here you are! What did those meanies do to you?"

"Usagi!" Ami sounded surprised, but relieved. "Boy, I'm glad you're here... but how did you find me?"

Usagi grinned. "Luna and I met someone who led us here."

The dancers, so rudely interrupted in the middle of their performance, were glancing at the foreign girls with puzzled looks. Some of them looked ready to draw their weapons.

But then, a big, bulky man stepped out of a tent. He was bald, but wore a very striking headdress, decorated with many, many feathers.

"That's got to be their centurion," Usagi guessed.

Luna groaned. "Their chief, Usagi..."

* * *

The man who Usagi had met in the woods stepped before the chief and raised his hand in greeting.

Chief Black-and-White-Bear was surprised when yet another pale girl appeared within the camp and attempted to save the first one.

Just then, Lost Boar stepped in front of him.

After the formal greeting, Black-and-White-Bear asked Lost Boar what he was thinking when he led the other girl to the camp.

Lost Boar explained how she had been searching for her friend... he didn't know that the other hunters of the tribe had captured her.

The Chief told the boy the reasons why he had ordered to capture the blue-haired stranger: He didn't want another suitor for the courtshipping of his son, Pig-Tailed-Horse. And because the stranger was an outsider, he believed this fact would allow him to get rid of her quite easily...

But Lost Boar protested: He reminded his chief (with all due respect) about the law that EVERY girl, may it be a member of the own tribe or an outsider, should be allowed to challenge the other suitors to a fight... would they win, the chief had to officially declare them suitable fiancees.

Black-and-White-Bear thought about this for a moment, but couldn't find any possible excuse for not letting the two strangers participate.

* * *

After the chief and their scout had finished their little conversation, the chief raised his arms and declared something in their strange language. Afterwards, all of the tribe members seemed to brim over with enthusiasm, yelling with joy and excitement.

Ami and Usagi looked at each other. "Now what's up?" Usagi asked.

Ami shrugged. "No idea. Maybe they want to grant us a chance to get free..."

But then, a buxom girl with lavender-colored hair approached them. Her pretty face snarled at them as she raised a long spear and rammed its tip into the ground in front of them.

Ami looked at the spear with interest. "I think she's challenging us to a duel."

* * *

Sleek Cat was the strongest female warrior of the tribe, and she had the best chances of becoming the chief's son's bride. She was beautiful, strong and a skilled hunter... and she wasn't going to let some flat-chested outsider stand in her way. No... she would remove the obstacle!

After all, how strong could those wimpy girls possibly be...?

* * *

Usagi grinned. "Okay then... let me fight first. You okay with it, Ami?"

Ami nodded. "Sure, go for it... You're stronger than me, after all."

"All right! Be right back..."

Usagi and the warrior-woman were facing each other. The other tribesmen were forming a circle, in the middle of which the two opponents were standing.

The other girl bellowed a warcry and stormed forward. Her intention was very clear: She wanted to pound her enemy into the ground.

Usagi didn't even blink as the purple-haired girl rushed towards her. The girl raised her weapon high over her head, ready to strike...

...and was being hit by a simple uppercut of Usagi!

POW!

Everyone's eyes followed the flying path of Usagi's opponent, as she was flying high into the air, until she seemed to turn into a twinkling star in the distance...

And after she came down again, she was dizzily looking out of the crater her impact had created and seemed to be ready for a long, long vacation...

The chief looked at the spectacle, nodded and raised his right hand... the side where Usagi was standing.

She was the winner, and the whole tribe seemed to cheer her on. Never before had they seen such a strong warrior!

Usagi went back to Ami, who smiled. "Congratulations, Usagi! That was a good fight!"

"She never stood a chance," her friend grinned in response and hugged her.

Just then, another woman stepped into the circle...

Ami sighed. "Looks like it's my turn now..."

She looked at the girl standing in front of her. She didn't seem much of a fighter, furthermore, her overall body language seemed to express the statement: 'Oh my!'

She looked as if she was kinda uncomfortable with the whole idea of this fight, but seemed to be willing to do her best, smiling at Ami with cheerful eyes.

Ami thought about it. There had to be a better way to do this...

* * *

Black-and-White-Bear smiled when he saw Pleasant Mist stepping into the ring. While she wasn't a good fighter, she was also on the higher list of suitors for his son... She was cute and could cook and act very much like a perfect housewife.

Now what was that outsider doing?

When he understood their plan, he nodded. Of course. The other girl seemed to be a pacifist as well. They were looking for a way to settle this without having a real fight. Well, he surely didn't mind... as long as one of them would win this confrontation, somehow...

* * *

Ami watched the other girl while she was collecting a weird board and some wooden figurines. What was she planning?

The native girl smiled at her and put up the board on a small tree stump. It seemed to be some sort of game... Using her hands and gestures, she tried explaining the rules. Ami nodded. It seemed easy enough. Now, all they had to do was to play...

* * *

A good choice. Pleasant Mist chose the always popular game of 'Opposing tribes'. No one had ever been able to beat her at this game.

After the game had started, the crowd was gathering close to the two opponents and looked over their shoulders. Very quickly, Pleasant Wind had prepared the standard setting for her infamous tactic, which had brought her to victory almost every time.

But everyone's eyes bugged out when the foreign girl made some clever moves that totally turned the tables...

* * *

Ami grinned. That game had been fun. And the nice girl had been a formidable opponent.

But back in their village, Ami had always been a fast learner for anything that involved using your wits... and so she was finally able to win with a speial move, as she put her own figure close to the chief figure of her opponent.

And then, she somehow felt compelled to make the statement: "Checkmate"!

* * *

All tribe members cheered with excitement and surprise after Ami had won. This had been the most interesting game ever. And Pleasant Mist didn't seem to hold a grudge. After the blue-haired girls victory, she stood up and nodded with a smile in her direction.

Afterwards, the chief Black-and-White-Bear strode up to them and declared them honorary members of their tribes... which was instantly followed by some warriors coming up to them and painting the tribe markings on their faces.

Usagi thought it was funny and was giggling all the time, giving the painters a hard time of doing their work.

And when the chief raised his hand, pointed at them and said a word, Usagi and Ami really didn't understand it... but they heard the cheers of the crowd and decided it had to be something positive.

If they only had known that this one word spoken by the chief could only mean one thing:

Fiancees.

* * *

This evening, Usagi and Ami were sitting at a campfire, together with the tribe members. The chief was sitting directly next to them, together with a young man that looked like he could be his son.

The nice girl from earlier and some other women brought bowls and plates with all kinds of food, and Usagi instantly started eating with glee. Ami wasn't hungry as much, so she only took a few bites.

"Wow, that's good," Usagi said after trying a particular stew. She looked at the chief who was sitting next to her. She gestured at the stew. "Gobblegobble?"

The chief shook his head.

"Barkbark!"

Usagi and Luna, who had been eating from that same bowl, exchanged a quick glance.

"I... I don't feel so good..." Usagi moaned.

Luna felt like puking. "Me... me neither..."

* * *

Chief Black-and-White-Bear watched the new fiancee of his son and her cat with worry. Why did their faces turn green all of a sudden? Was there something wrong with the rabbit stew?

He took a bite. No, tasted as delicious as ever. Strange, they acted as if Pound-them-Flat (another suitor of his son) had prepared the meal, and not her sister Pleasant Mist...

Perhaps he should let the medicine man, Lost-in-the-Mist, take a look at them...


	5. Kagome and the Vikings

Carefully, the finger of the native painted another line on the cloth in front of him. When it was finished, it became clear that it was supposed to be the tail of a mighty bison... which has been hurled upwards by a mighty punch of a blonde girl with two pigtails.

Next to that image, various other animals were shown, all in a state of being subdued or incapacitated. They included another bison, a bear and some deer.

And in all of the pictures, the mighty hunter that had struck the beast was a girl with pale skin and either blue or blonde hair. There was even a small, black cat that was clinging to the back of the bear in panic.

Ami watched with interest as the native man finished his painting.

"I wish we could take this with us to show the others," she said. "And to keep it as a memento of our big hunt..."

"Yeah, those guys were pretty amazed when they saw our hunting tactics," Usagi giggled.

Just then, she saw that someone was approaching them. It was the tall, muscular boy who had been sitting next to them the previous evening.

He smiled at them and raised his hand in greeting. A little insecure, the two girls imitated his movements.

The chief was stepping next to the young warrior. He had a proud grin on his face as he patted the boy on his back. He pointed at himself, then at the boy, and then he took the boy's right hand and the hands of the two girls. He then put them together.

The young man seemed to be embarrassed, but he continued to smile at them.

After releasing the hands of the confused Gauls, the chief once again patted the boy's back and left. The boy shrugged, raised his hand to say goodbye and followed him.

"What was that all about?" Usagi asked in confusion.

"I'm not too sure..." Ami replied. "But I think that was his son, and he's happy that he likes us..."

"I think I now know what the confrontation with the other girls was all about," Luna sighed. "And also why he made such a big fuss over our arrival... he wants you two to be his son's fiancees."

Ami blushed heavily, while Usagi freaked out. "W-w-what? Fiancees? Both of us? I mean..." She blushed as well and fiddled with her thumbs. "He's a cute guy and all, but... we hardly know each other. And besides... they're all nice to us and everything, but... I'd prefer going home soon."

"Yes, definitely!" Ami nodded sharply. "Perhaps we should leave tonight... it would be hard to explain the reasons to them..."

Luna sneered at them. "Oh, are you in suuuch a hurry that you don't even want do get to know your new fiance better?"

Ami turned as red as a tomato. Usagi fumed. "Sh-shut up..."

* * *

At night, two shapes were silently sneaking around the tipis of the natives. They were, of course, Ami and Usagi with Luna, who had agreed to leave the camp unnoticed.

Unfortunately, one of the natives was sitting in their way, guarding the camp.

Trying very hard not to make any noise, they tiptoed past him, behind the tipis.

But then Usagi stepped on a wooden twig that was lying on the ground.

CRACK!

Instantly, the guard was jumping to his feet, taking his spear and looking around the bushes.

By now, Luna was certain they would get caught, but Usagi had an idea...

She put her hands next to her mouth and shouted: "Gobblegobblegobble!"

The guard seemed to relax. Satisfied, he put down his weapon and sat down on the ground.

Ami stared at her friend. "Usagi, that was ingenious..." she whispered.

Usagi tried very hard not to grin with pride.

* * *

"Grrrrroooowwwllll..."

"SANGO, MAKE THAT STUPID CAT STOP!"

"Hey now, leave her alone!"

As the sun was rising, the silhouette of an impressive ship was gliding through the ocean's waters. Attached to its front was a wooden, scary-looking dragon head that was looming menacingly over the waves.

And directly behind that dragon head, on the ship's bow, the massive form of a giant cat was standing, looking straight ahead into the direction the boat was going.

A young woman with a black pony-tail stepped next to the big cat and petted her head. She was dressed in a fur coat and metal armor. "What's wrong, Kirara? Did you smell something?"

"Now what should that overgrown bag of fleas have smelt out here?" a young, white-haired man grumbled as he stepped next to the girl. He was similarly dressed as her, but also had a necklace of pearls hanging around his neck. "There's nothing here... nothing but water. If you ask me, we should go back home and forget about this stupid idea..."

"Well, Kagome said she wants to go on a little further..."

"Bah! That girl is dimwitted, I tell you! If we keep going like this, we will reach the end of the world and fall off. This journey is a complete joke, as all of her ideas are..."

"Um, Inuyasha..."

"What?"

Sango raised her finger and pointed behind him. Inuyasha turned around... and saw the female, black-haired captain of the ship standing there, a snarl on her pretty face.

"Um... Kagome, I..."

"SIT!!"

WHAM!

Cracks appeared in the wood of the deck as Inuyasha smashed down by Kagome's command.

Sango winced. "You know, I told you the ship won't withstand much more strikes of Inuyasha's hard head..."

"Ah, the jerk had it coming," Kagome grumbled and stepped up next to her friend Sango and her pet Kirara. "That'll teach him to question my plans..."

"But seriously, Kagome... do you really believe that there is land in this direction? We've been at sea for nearly a month now and didn't find anything."

"I just know there is something more out there, somewhere behind the horizon," the captain of the viking ship insistet. "Let's search one more day, if we haven't found anything by then, we can go home, I promise!"

"Umm... okay! Whatever you say!"

"And I still say this is ridiculous," Inuyasha grumbled as he got up to his feet. He turned around to face the crew. "Don't you all agree? Let's go home before it's too late!"

Various murmurs of approval were rising among the crew. Kagome got angry, but also nervous. She couldn't do much if the crew decided to conspire against her... A mutiny was the last thing she needed.

"Growl! Meooow!"

Gritting his teeth, Inuyasha turned back around to face Sango. "I swear, I'll kill that cat if it continues to..."

"That's strange," Sango murmured. "Normally, she would only act like this when we're near... land."

"Look! Oh, look over there!" Kagome shouted in excitement.

Inuyasha and Sango looked over the ship's rail with gaping mouths. In the distance, they could see the coast of a big, unknown continent...

"Well, I'll be damned..." the white-haired viking muttered. "She was right after all..."

* * *

Usagi and Ami had managed to get out of the forest and reached the coast. However, they couldn't find the cliff where they had abandoned their wrecked boat. Instead, they were now standing on a small island in the middle of a grand bay.

Ami peered out on the open sea. "A ship..." she exclaimed.

Usagi looked as well. "Romans? Egyptians? Phoenicians?"

"Only one way to find out. We'll have to signal them to come over..."

Usagi nodded. "Yeah, or else our dear 'daddy-in-law' and his friends will be here to pick us up..."

They made a big pile of rocks and Ami climbed on its top, carrying a burning torch which she raised high above her head. In her other hand, she was clutching a small bundle of things they took with them from the native camp...

Luna looked up at the imposing figure of Ami, while the torch was burning brightly. "Strange... she muttered. "Somehow, when looking at her like that... it seems to be a sign of liberty..."

* * *

Kagome let out a gasp. "Land! With human beings! Quick, go for it..."

Sango smirked while the other crew members continued to row. "You know, you never seem to surprise me, Kagome... Just imagine how everyone at home will react, if we tell them of our discovery..."

* * *

Some time later, the female captain and several of her crew members were standing in front of Usagi and Ami, looking at them with content faces.

Ami smiled and stepped forward. "Thank goodness! I thought we'd be stranded out here for eternity. Please, could you take us with you in your boat?"

Kagome blinked. Then, she turned around to her friends. "Um, what did she say?"

"I dunno," Miroku shrugged. "I don't think I've heard this language before... although, I have to say... it does sound familiar."

Usagi groaned. "Aaahh, dang... They don't understand us..."

"Well, perhaps we can make ourselves understood in some other kind of way?" Ami wondered.

"Lemme take care of this..." Inuyasha mumbled and stepped in front of his captain. He gestured at the two girls, then at the boat. "You... come... with us? Understand?"

They just stared at him blankly.

Sango snickered. "Somehow, I doubt that they understood you..."

Meanwhile, Kirara had approached Luna and sniffed her curiously.

Luna felt a little nervous when facing the enormous cat, but she relaxed after realizing Kirara didn't mean her any harm.

"Mrrrooowwllll?" the big cat growled curiously.

Luna blinked. "Meow! Mew mew meoooww!"

"Meow? Grrrr... Meow meoooww!"

"You understand her?" Usagi gasped. "What did she say?"

Luna sighed. "I'm not too sure... She speaks with a heavy Norse accent... but I think she said they want us to come with them."

Usagi grinned. "Well, then what are we waiting for? That's exactly what we want, right?"

Kagome, not having understood the conversation between the two strangers and their cat, seemed to have come to a decision. "Let's introduce ourselves to them... perhaps then they will have more trust."

"Good idea," Sango nodded.

Kagome pointed at herself. "I am... Kagome! Kagome the Black-haired! Got it?"

The two girls looked at each other, then nodded. The blonde one imitated Kagome's actions. "Usagi." The blue one followed quickly: "Ami."

Inuyasha stepped forward. "Inuyasha... the Stubborn!"

Sango smiled. "I'm Sango the Agile."

The man wearing purple robes grinned at the girls. "I am Miroku the Lecherous..."

* * *

A few hours later, the boat was gone, and the two Gauls with them.

A single canoe reached the island, and some of the natives were stepping out.

A handsome, pig-tailed man walked to the small pile of rocks in the middle of the island. There, he saw a burnt out torch and a small bundle.

Kneeling down, Pig-Tailed-Horse picked up the bundle and unwrapped it. Inside, he found the painting of the two foreign girls which had been made after their hunt.

He smiled as he looked at the group picture, where the blue-haired, the blonde and their black cat were standing next to each other, in front of their prey, and grinning proudly.

He stood up, looked at the sea and smiled.

Clutching the painting to his chest, he raised his right hand... to bid the two strange but cute girls farewell. He then went back to his father and friends, and they returned to the camp.

He would never forget them...

* * *

Finally, after a long journey, the viking ship arrived at its destination harbor, after navigating through the thick fog banks of the northern ocean.

"We did it," Kagome cheerfully exclaimed. "We're back home!"

Usagi and Ami watched as the ship was landing at a long pier of the viking village that was lying in the middle of the Scandinavian fjord. The small huts were coated with a blanket of snow, and it was very cold.

Usagi shivered. "We're really lucky they gave us warm coats... it's freezing here."

"I wonder how we can make them understand our situation," Ami pondered. "While it is nice that they have seemingly invited us to stay at their village, we still have to catch some fish and bring it home to our village back in Gaul..."

Kagome listened to the conversation of the two 'natives of the New World' - of course she couldn't understand a single word - and grinned. "I'll bet they're impressed with our village... I can guess they just live in tents, back where they come from."

"Let's just hope they're really as friendly as they make us believe..." Inuyasha grumbled.

Kagome sighed. "Inuyasha... do you have to mistrust any person you meet?"

"Well, what do we know about them?" the white-haired viking huffed. "Nothing, right? Maybe they're just spies and only came with us to see if they can easily conquer our land."

"Inuyasha, stop being such a worrywart..."

Suddenly, she saw someone coming through the snow flurry... and gasped.

"Now what's wrong?"

Kagome gulped. "It's... it's our leader..."

Inuyasha felt uneasy as well as he recognized the imposing figure of their chief... Gleaming eyes, a fang-toothed smile...

...and when they disembarked, his head just reached up to their knees.

Shippo the Terrible, the feared viking leader, snarled at the crew of his biggest ship.

"Well..." he grumbled in his high-pitched voice. "Well, well, well... Captain Kagome... I see you're back, finally..."

Smiling nervously, Kagome raised a hand. "G-greetings, chief... it's good to see you again!"

"I wish I could say the same thing about you!" Shippo snapped back. "While the rest of our men are out on sea, attacking merchant ships and marauding villages, you just take my biggest ship and our best crew to make a small cruise..."

Kagome cringed under the harsh words of her diminutive leader, but stood her ground. "Shippo... while I'm sorry I just took the boat without informing you, I have outstanding news to tell you: We made an amazing discovery! We found, after sailing many sea miles eastwards, an unknown continent... an entire New World!"

"A... New World?"

She nodded. "A New World!"

But Shippo the Terrible wasn't convinced that easily. "And do you have any proof for that? Because I won't rely on anything just because you and your crew tell me so."

"Hey, what's the problem?" Inuyasha grumbled. "We've all been there and saw it... even though I was kinda sceptical at first... but she is right! There IS a brand new world out there, just waiting to be plundered and ravaged..."

"DID I ASK FOR YOUR OPINION?" Shippo bellowed... as loud as he could with his tiny voice.

Kagome gestured backwards. "You want proof? I'll show you proof!"

Just then, Usagi and Ami appeared next to them, as Sango and Miroku lead them off the viking's ship.

"Excuse us..." Ami said in Gaul. "But could you please give us a ship so we can get back home?"

But Shippo didn't understand her. "Who are those girls?" he wanted to know. "What did they say?"

Kagome beamed with pride. "Those... are natives of the New World, Shippo! They are the proof that I said the truth. Sadly, we can't understand them... they must speak a primitive language..."

Shippo thought about it. "All right, come with me," he ordered. "You will tell me every single detail of your journey!"

"Of course," Kagome nodded. "Miroku is our scholar... he will tell you everything..." She then looked around. "Miroku?"

The purple-robed viking was standing a short distance away from them, chatting with two giggling girls that were looking out of a window.

"Missed me, girls?" he grinned. "Must be because of my undeniable good looks... But yeah, I missed you too..."

"MIROKU!!" Shippo yelled. "Quit flirting and get over here!"

Miroku cringed. "Yes, chief..."

* * *

In Shippo's big and warm hut, Miroku was telling him the story of their journey, while Usagi, Ami and Luna were warming up at the fireplace.

"...and that's all," Miroku finished his tale.

"Amazing," Shippo murmured. "Of course, we have to prepare a bigger expedition soon... We need more ships and more men... So we can carry all the stuff we'll find out there." He grinned. "Yes, that's exactly what my daddy would have done... Tell the inhabitants of the land how lucky they are that they can be of service... and then take everything you can while they still try to befriend you." He grinned. "Yes, I like that..."

"How about preparing a big meal for our two guests?" Kagome suggested with a smirk. "Maybe they can assist us... they can tell their friends how nice we treated them, so they would see us as friends."

Shippo shook his head. "No, no, no... I don't like to give people the wrong impression of myself..." He grinned. "I prefer to see them running in panic as we ravage their villages and enslave their people... But I must say, a big meal is a good idea. We have to celebrate your big discovery, after all. And afterwards, we can sacrifice them to the gods. That's an honor they can't possibly reject..."

And Shippo cackled maliciously...

Usagi looked back at the snickering form of the viking's tiny leader and smiled. "I wonder what he's laughing about? Oh well, perhaps they told him some joke..."

* * *

That evening, a big festival was being held in the village hall of the vikings. All villagers were laughing, eating, drinking and dancing, while Ami, Luna and Usagi were sitting at the grand table, near Shippo and Kagome.

"We should be careful," Luna murmured. "I have a bad feeling about this... and we have to go home soon..."

"Aaaah, don't worry so much, Luna..." Usagi grinned while biting into a leg of pork roast. "Those guys are so nice to us... Let's have fun tonight!"

Just then, a young man came near them, carrying a big pot of wine. He poured some into their mugs.

Usagi smiled. "Thank you!"

The dark-haired man nearly dropped the pot. "You... you are Gauls??"

Just then, the viking's leader's voice shouted loudly, in the viking's language: "WHAT? Come here, servant!"

"Y-y-yes, master..." the nervous lad answered in the Norse tongue.

Shippo grabbed the boy's collar and shook him hardly. "Why do you understand the language of the natives of the New World?"

"T-t-the New World?" the Gaul slave stammered. "Pardon me, but... those are Gauls like me..."

"NO WAY!" Kagome yelled and slammed down her mug on the table. "That slave has to be lying! Those two girls are residents of the New World, I know it!"

"THE NEW WORLD?" Shippo yelled back, even louder. "Just made a small trip to Gaul, huh? Took a look at the handsome boys of Lutetia, right?"

Kagome snarled furiously. She drew her short sword and grabbed the poor Gaul boy by his sleeve. "Admit you're lying, or you'll be sorry," she growled.

The boy sweated in fear, sure that this would be his end...

THWACK!

...when suddenly, the female viking captain was flying through the entire room, slamming against the opposite wall and dangling down from the prongs of the stag-head that was attached to that wall.

Usagi pulled back her fist. "Leave that Gaulic hunk alone, you big meanie!"

And then all hell broke loose.

Kagome's crewmen were furious about what happened to her and attacked Ami and Usagi, while the other vikings were glad that there was some action at the party and tussled with each other, while Shippo seemed to go berserk and hit everyone that came too close to him.

Mugs and jars flew through the air, and one viking woman even slammed an entire barrel of wine down on her husband's head.

But while most of the vikings were fighting just for fun, Usagi and Ami were fighting for their lives. Ami quickly had realized that this northern tribe wasn't as harmless as they believed and quickly drank a sip of her magic potion.

After slamming down Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku on one of the wooden benches, Ami hurled it across the whole room.

Then she grabbed the arm of the Gaulic slave and pulled him with her. "Usagi, quick! We have to go!"

"C-c-coming!" the menhir delivery girl shouted, yelping as she ducked under yet another thrown mug.

Following Luna, who had just ran ahead of them, they left the hall and headed for the harbor.

"Quick, this way," the man shouted. "My boat must still be over there..."

"Who are you anyway?" Usagi asked.

"My name is Mamoruchibix," he said. "But just call me Mamoru... I'm a fisherman. A few days ago, I was unlucky enough to get caught by the vikings. They forced me to stay and serve them as their slave... They're terrible, I tell you, and I believe they wanted to sacrifice you to their gods."

"Those vikings are crazy..." Usagi mumbled as they followed Mamoru as he stepped into his small fishing boat that was floating next to the harbor's catwalk.

"Everything is fine," the black-haired fisherman then said. "Even my fishing net is still here."

Ami helped him steer the boat out of the harbor and away from the Norse coast. "That's great news... Say, can you do us a favor, Mamoru? We have a certain problem, you know..."

* * *

Back in the village hall, the fight was over. Most of the vikings were either knocked out, unconscious because of the alcohol or just too tired to fight anymore.

Shippo looked around the room. "The Gauls? Where are the Gauls?" he shouted.

He ran outside, followed by Kagome... but it was too late. Coming to a stop at the harbor, they could see the small fishing boat of Mamoru, as it vanished in the distance.

Shippo glared angrily at Kagome, who looked very uncomfortable.

"SNEAKY LITTLE RASCAL!" he then yelled. "What was that about some New World? Ha! Ha! Ha! And to think I almost believed you!" He then grinned and punched her leg playfully. "But, I will let you off the hook this time. My, that was quite a party, eh? It was a long time since I had that much fun!"

Still grinning, he walked back to the village. "And the next time you decide to pull such a prank, warn me in time, got it?"

Kagome stayed behind at the catwalk, sighing as she looked into the distance. Somewhere out there was the New World she had discovered, she knew it.

"But... can I be a discoverer or not?" she asked Kirara who was gently nudging her hand with her head.

"KAGOME, YOU COMING?" Shippo's voice echoed through the snow.

And Kagome followed Kirara back to the village hall. "To be or not to be, that's the question here..."

* * *

The next morning...

Minako, who had been practicing at the beach with her new harp, was excitedly jumping up and down. "They're back! They're back!"

Shortly after, the small fishing boat of Mamoru was landing, and Usagi, Ami and Luna disembarked, while Haruka helped Mamoru to unload the many fishes they had caught on their trip back to Gaul.

"Well, you've certainly taken your time," Rei said in a grumbling voice.

Usagi giggled. "Sorry, Rei... we got sidetracked."

The female druid then grinned. "Well, as long as you're back... Hey, Haruka! What do you say? That's some fresh fish, huh?"

The blonde woman took a sniff. "Well, okay, it looks fine... But, it just doesn't have that typical smell of my quality goods..." Michiru threw her an angry glare.

"Just where have you been all that time?" Setsuna asked the two girls.

"Oh, over there..." Ami smiled and vaguely gestured over the ocean.

"Yeah," Luna nodded. "Over there, on some kind of island..."

"And island with many gobblegobbles," Usagi grinned.

Setsuna thought about that and stared over the sea. "Over there... on some island... I see..."


End file.
